Aerial advertising banner



P. E. HOVGARD AERIAL ADVERTISING BANNER Filed NOV. 22, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l dc/ MWWQNWM @www v L H. d N www E w da w QN. r. {N/ uw( QN A 1/ m 1 NJ@ NN NN www NN A .ww www, N w N: 1N wi m. \\N Nf .%N .QN vf wv April 11, 1939. P. E. HovGARD AERIAL ADVERTISING BANNER Filed NOV. 22, 1935 2' Sheets-Sheet 2 ,Pm Haggard, Wlan/attain@ mener Ap1.11, 19311AN e 2,153,562

AUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AERIAL ADVERTISING BANNER Paul E. Hovgard, Bristol, Pa., assignor to Kellett Autogiro Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Application November 22, 1933, Serial No. 699,223

1 Claim. (Cl, 410-127) My invention relates to new and useful imlating more particularly to the leading edge of provements in aerial banners, and it relates more banners of any of these types disclosed in said particularly to aerial banners, for use in aerial Dupont patent and in said copending applicaadvertising. tions and to the manner in which the stability 1 The object of my present invention is to faciliand correct flight position of the banner is obtate the iiying, as well as the take-off of aerial tained, and further relates (as in Figure 4) to banners, to increase their stability in flight and the trailing edge of said banners. generally to facilitate their use and operation. In the embodiment of my invention shown With the above and other objects in view, my in Figures 1 and 2, I provide a leading spreader u) invention consists of certain novel features of bar I 2 of relatively greater stiIness and cross- 10 construction which will appear more fully from sectional area than the spreader bars I 0, and

the following detailed description. having a greater resistance to bending than the For the purpose of illustrating my invention, subsequent spreader bars I0. I have shown in the accompanying drawings 'Ihe leading spreader bar I2 may be of bamboo forms thereof which are at present preferred by or hollow duraluminum tubing, or an equivalent 15 me, since the `saine have been found in practice material. to give satisfactory and reliable results, although In the embodiment of the invention shown in it is to be understood that the various instru- Figure 1, I provide an upper diagonal metallic mentalities of which my invention consists can be brace rod I4, and a lower diagonal metallic brace variously arranged and organized and that my rod I5, having corresponding eyelets at their 20 invention is not limited to the precise arrangemeeting ends (the eyelets being not shown but ment and organization of the instrumentalities being hidden by the metal juncture plate I 6).

as herein shown and described. The diagonal rods I4 and I5 are joined by any Referring to the drawings, in which like refersuitable bolt or fastening means I1 extending ence characters indicate like parts, through their respective eyelets and extending 25 Figure 1 represents a schematic side-elevathrough the tie-plate I6. The flexible tow-line tional view of a banner embodying my invention; I8, fastened t0 the tOWiIlg Craft, is then Connect- Figure 2 represents a schematic side-elevaed t0 the Plate 0r Plates I6, by means 0f anOther tional View showing another banner embodying bolt I9- a modified form Qf my invention, The diagonal rods I4 and I5 are connected 30 Figure 3 represents a, sectionV en line 3 3 of to the upper and lower ends of the leading spacer Figure 2. bar I2 by means of clamp-members 20 and ZI Figure 4 represents a,` fragmentary side-elevawhich include straps embracing the spreader bar tional View of the trailing end of a banner showand held together by Clamp bolts 22 and metallic ing a variable tail-resistance member embodying anchorages 23 Projecting from said Straps 20 and 35 my invention, the latter being shown in the take- 2|, through Which said diagonal rods I4 and I5 oi condition; are extended. The rods I4 and I5 may be fas- Figure 5 represents a similar view, shown in tened by nuts 24 and 25 tbreadedly Secured t0 the flight condition;i the ends of the rods. Figure 6 represents a side-elevational View, The upper diagonal I4 is preferably shorter 40 on a much enlarged scale, of the release mechathan the lower diagonal I5, so that the effective nism for changing the resistance member from towing force is applied above the effective center its take-off condition to its flight condition. of the leading spacer bar I2.

` In each of the embodiments of my invention If desired, a central brace 2B may also be inshown in Figures 1, 2 and 4, I form e, banner terposed between the outer ends of the diagonals 45 of a series of spreader bars I0, spaced suitable I4 and I5 and the leading spreader bar I2. The distances from each other and connected by loncentral brace 26 is preferably made integral with gitudinal stringers II ina manner similar to that the plates I6 and said plates I5 may thus be redisclosed in the Dupont Patent No. 1,901,855, or lated to said brace 26, in the nature of a bifurin the copending applications Serial Numbers cated end portion of said brace. The rear end 50 673,083 and 686,504. of the brace 26 may also be provided with clamp The construction of the banner and the details straps 2'I, formed of suitable sheet metal and of its various parts may be of any of the forms fastened by a Clamp bOlt 28. disclosed in said Dupont patent and in said co- In the embodiment of the invention shown in pending applications, the present invention re- Figure 2, the tow-line I8 is connected directly to 55 the front spreader bar I2, at a point suitably above the center of gravity of the leading edge. In the preferred embodiment I also provide any suitable means whereby the center of gravity of the leading edge of the banner is lowered to a point beneath the center of said leading edge. This may be accomplished by fastening any suitable weight, such as the lead-weight 29 to the lower end of the spreader bar I2. This can be accomplished by means of straps 30 embedded in the lead weight and the clamp screw 3|, as shown particularly in Figure 3; (in a manner similar to the manner in which the members 20, 2| and 21 are fastened to the leading spreader bar l2 in Figure 1).

In the embodiment of my invention shown in Figure 2, the towing force is applied approximately at the point or in the Zone of the center of drag of the leading edge of the banner, while the center of gravity is positioned somewhat below thiscenter of drag.

By reason of the novel constructions hereinabove described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, certain definite advantages are obtainable. Thus,

'simpler constructions are provided which eliminateA flexible bridles and their tendency to tangle or foul. Moreover, by virtue of either of the foregoing constructions, the banner will become more quickly responsive to sudden changes in the elevation of the towing craft, and will not be subjected to distortion at the front end because in these constructions the tow line is hinged or connected either directly to a rigid bridle as illustrated in Figure 1, or to the banner itself as illustrated in Figure 2. 'I'he resultant banner distortion which would be incident to a sudden upward or downward pull upon a flexible bridle may thus be eliminated either by the complete omis'- sion of the flexible bridle or by the substitution therefor of a rigid bridle.

In Figures 4, 5 and 6 I have illustrated means whereby the drag imposed upon the trailing end of the banner may be momentarily increased during take-E, thereby to cause the banner to rise into the air more rapidly and to cause the banner to take off from the ground more quickly.

To effect this, I have provided a novel aerodynamic resistance member comprising a windsock 33 which may be of any suitable construction, as. for instance the form of construction shown in copending application Serial No. 673,083, the leading edge 34 of which is surrounded by a parachute 35 formed of any suitable ilexible material, such as silk, canvas or the like. The parachute 35 has a center opening corresponding to the leading edge 34 of the windsock 33. The parachute-like member 35 is provided with any suitable number of shroud lines 36, connected to its leading edge 31 and the shroud lines 36 are connected to a common juncture ring 38. The juncture ring 38 in turn is connected through any suitable eyeleted metallic link 39 to a release hook 40 of a release device 4|. The release device 4| consists of any suitable plate-like member in which the hook 4U is hingedly or pivotally mounted as at 42, and having a slot 43 in which the hook 39 may enter. The release arm 44 of the hook 40 is connected by any suitable ilexible connection, such as rope, cable or the like 45, to the trailing spreader bar 46 of the banner. This may be effected directly or through the intermediate ring 41 and link 48 and anchorage member 49, fastened to the bar 46.

/The release device 4| on the other hand, is connected through a helical tension spring 50 to the spreader bar 46. The wind sock 33 is in turn connected through its shroud lines and the line 52, also to the spreader bar 46.

In take-off the banner, the parachute-like member 35 is tied to the release hook 40 in the manner shown in Figure 6, thereby causing the parachute to be maintained in operative relation during take-off. Thus, in taking off, the parachute will be held by the shroud lines 36 and will thus give increased resistance to the trailing end of the banner. As the speed of the banner increases, however, (after taking olf) the resistance of the parachute 35 increases, and thus causes a distension of the spring 50. This in turn causes a relative movement of the release unit 4| with respect to the spreader bar 46. Since the length of the release line 45 is fixed, the release arm 44 will be operatedv and the hook 4l] deected whenever the resistance of the parachute increases suciently to stretch the spring 50 to the release point. Once the hook 40 has released the shroud lines 36, the Wind carries the parachute-like member 35 backward, until the parachute-like member folds back on the outside of the wind sock 33, thereby lessening the resistance at the trailing end of the banner, as shown particularly in Figure 5.V Y

While in the drawings I have shown the parachute-like unit appliedmerely to the upper part of the trailing end of the banner, it may also be applied to the lower portion or to the center portion, as may be desired, or it may be applied to both the upper and lower portions.

I am aware that my invention may be embodied in other specic forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and I therefore desire the present embodiments to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I hereby claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

An aerial display banner, adapted to be towed in a generally vertical plane by a power-driven aircraft, comprising a plurality of longitudinal stringers, rigid frame means including at the rear thereof a spreader spacing said stringers apart at the leading edge of the banner anld including rigid rods, connected to the ends of the spreader and converging forwardly therefrom and connected together at their converging ends at a point above the center of gravity of the frame, and a tow line connected to the frame at substantially the zone of convergence of said rods, whereby the leading edge of the banner is made more fully responsive to the changes in the relative direction of the tow line.

PAUL E. HOVGARD. 

